Beef Birria Taquitos with Chile Consommé
Traditional birria is a rustic meat stew from the Jalisco region of Mexico that involves braising beef, goat, or pork in a rich chile-infused broth. In this recipe, we take a far less authentic approach and use the tender braised beef birria as a filling for crispy, cheesy, oven-baked taquitos. For dipping, we reserve some of the flavorful chile consomme, so no element of this braise goes to waste! These taquitos are spicy, crunchy, and addictively good and taste just like a queso birria taco. If you’ve never made birria from scratch, this recipe is a good stepping stone. We use a few supermarket shortcuts like canned chipotle chiles in adobo and canned tomatoes to make this recipe more doable for a home cook.
Ingredients
Birria
- 2 Tablespoons canola or grapeseed oil
- 2½ pounds boneless chuck roast cut into 2-inch cubes
- 1 pound bone-in short ribs (optional; see Notes)
- Kosher salt
- 1 medium white onion halved, plus ½ cup finely chopped white onion
- One 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with chiles and cilantro
- One 7-ounce can chipotle peppers in adobo (see Notes)
- 4 garlic cloves smashed
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons ground chile powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro plus more for serving
- Juice of 1 lime plus lime wedges for serving
Taquitos
- Nonstick cooking spray for greasing
- 20 small corn-and-wheat tortillas (see Notes)
- 2 cups shredded quesadilla cheese (queso de Oaxaca; 8 ounces), or a similar melting cheese like Monterey Jack
- Sour cream for serving
Instructions
Make the Birria
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the oil. Season the chuck roast and short ribs, if using, all over with salt. Working in batches, brown the boneless chuck roast over moderately-high heat, turning occasionally, until browned all over, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the insert of a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker. Repeat with the bone-in short ribs, if using. Sear the onion cut side down until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Alternatively, if your slow cooker has a browning setting, you can do this in batches in the insert.
- In a blender or food processor, puree the canned tomatoes, chipotle peppers in adobo, garlic, vinegar, chile powder, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Pour the puree over the meat and onion in your slow cooker. Add the bay leaves and 3 cups of water. Cover and cook on LOW until the meat is very tender and shreddable, 6 to 8 hours. Using tongs, transfer the meat to a large bowl and discard the short rib bones. Let cool for at least 10 minutes, then finely shred the meat with forks or using your hands. Discard any large chunks of fat or cartilage. Add a few spoonfuls of the broth to the bowl with the shredded meat and toss to coat; season with salt. Discard the onion and bay leaves from the broth. Stir in the chopped cilantro, lime juice, and the ½ cup of chopped onion. Season with salt, if needed.
Make the Taquitos
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Skim some of the fat from the top of your birria broth and transfer to a bowl. You’ll need about ¾ cup. Wrap your tortillas in a clean kitchen towel and microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds to 1 minute—this will make them more pliable and easier to roll.
- Brush the warm tortillas on both sides with the birria fat. Alternatively, you can spray them with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange 2 tablespoons of the shredded beef in a straight line down the center of the tortilla. Sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of cheese. Roll up the tortilla and place seam side down on a rimmed baking sheet (you’ll need two for this recipe, or you can bake in batches). Repeat with the remaining tortillas, beef, and cheese. (You will have some leftover shredded beef—it is excellent in burritos, on top of grain bowls, or scrambled with eggs for breakfast tacos.)
- Transfer the taquitos to the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Flip and cook for about 5 minutes more, or until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are crispy.
- Let cool slightly before arranging the taquitos on a platter. Serve with a cup of the consommé for dipping. Garnish with more cilantro and serve with lime wedges and sour cream. Enjoy!
Notes
This birria has a nice kick to it! If you are sensitive to heat, consider using only half of the canned chipotle chiles in adobo.
Store-bought corn tortillas tend to be dry and crumbly. If you have access to fresh corn tortillas, they would be excellent in this recipe. Here, we opt for small corn-and-wheat tortillas because they are more pliable and will hold their shape well, but will still crisp in the oven.
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